Scratching The Surface

Chapter 22

Everything was fine, everything was going okay. Nico lived alongside Piper and Jason, lived happily for the first time in years. It was nice to be part of a family, a family that actually loved each other. It was a dream come true.

But everything must pass, including the happiness. All nights end and the sun will rise, but the sun will also eventually set, even on the brightest of days.

The leaves had begun to fall from the trees when Jason got the phone call. Piper sat in the living room with her daughters, taught Katie how to read. Nico sat beside Maddie, stared at the soul he could pick up from within Piper's stomach. Jason got up to get his phone while it rang, standing in front of the open window as the leaves blew in.

The leaves, stinking of the arrival of Fall and the cold it would bring.

"Hello?" Jason plugged his other ear, Katie's voice filling the small room. "Thalia, what is it?"

Piper looked up from her lessons and watched Jason closely, the innocence of the day turning dark. "Jason, what is it?"

He unplugged his ear to hold a finger up to Piper, a scowl dampening his face. "Thalia..."

He stood there for a couple minutes before speaking again, his voice strained. "Fine, fine. I'll tell Piper." He hung up, tossed the phone onto the couch. "My mother is coming to visit."

Nico wrinkled his nose in distaste. "Why?"

Jason sighed. "Thalia told her I and Piper got a house. She wants to check it, make sure it's spiritually okay. She won't take no for an answer."

Piper got up to rub her husband's arm. "Don't get worked up. It'll be okay. We'll make a nice dinner, she'll sleep over, she'll go away. As simple as that."

Nico looked between them. "What about me?"

Jason looked down at Piper, ignoring Nico. "Are you sure it'll be okay? What if she goes crazy on the kids or something?"

"Hello?" Nico waved his hands in the air. "This lady is a psychic, isn't she?"

"She won't go crazy on the kids," Piper replied. "Okay? Just relax. When is she coming?"

"I'll scare her away." Nico offered.

"Tomorrow." Jason gestured to the house. "We have to clean and drive into town to get something for dinner. Thalia is coming, too. That's two extra people for dinner."

"Okay, the plan to scare her away is in motion." Nico continued.

"We'll make something easy..." Piper thought. "Chicken or something, mashed potatoes to go with it. Dessert, wine. She'll go to bed early and leave the next day. The kids will be napping a lot."

"Maybe I'll show her how I died..." Nico thought, a finger on his chin. "Or maybe I'll show her my bathtub. That should be enough to get her running out."

"Do you want to head to the store while I start cleaning?" Jason offered. "I won't know what to get."

Nico rolled his eyes. "Seriously, what do I have to say to get you to listen to me?"

Piper nodded. "Sure. Make sure to do the living room, kitchen, and bedrooms. Everything else should be fine."

Nico started to get annoyed, the fear that he was disappearing filling his chest. He needed to get their attention, needed them to listen to him.

"That's...a lot." Jason pouted.

"I know you can do it," Piper promised. "And the kids-"

"I killed my father!" Nico blurted out, his last secret crashing out of him from the fear that had taken over his soul. He stopped Piper midsentence, stopped her train of thought, got her to look at him. Finally, they were looking at him. They could see and hear him.

"Excuse me?" Jason moved Piper behind him, moved the kids behind him. "What did you say?"

Nico crossed his arms. "You both were ignoring everything I said."

"We were in the middle of a conversation," Jason argued. "Now, explain what you said."

"There's nothing to explain." Nico shot back. "I killed my father, alright? He was a horrible man. One day I couldn't stand him being here anymore. A knife hit his chest, hit his heart. He bled out in the kitchen."

Jason's face turned furious. "So when you get sick of us, you'll just throw a knife at our hearts?"

Nico threw his hands up in exasperation. "It's not the same thing!"

"Yes, it is!" Jason took a step closer to him. "How can we trust you? Why haven't you told us before?"

"Because I knew you'd act like this! You go insane, Jason." Nico felt himself disappearing, felt himself reappearing in his room. "I knew it..."

With that, he was gone, gone from their sight and safe in his room. He locked the door, barricaded the door, kept to himself. He laid in that bathtub of blood, thought of all the times he had hurt himself in it.

He missed being able to bleed.